The Alabama rig’s effectiveness in open water is well documented, but it does well around docks and other structure in spring, too. (Photo courtesy of James Hall)
March 17, 2025
By David A. Brown
Spring is a time of transition for all living things, and fish are no exception. As such, certain baits and lures work better than others this time of year. The following three rigs, in particular, are springtime-tested and bass-approved. You’ll do well to try them all this season.
HOVER RIG Despite its name, this mobile technique is used to creep a jig-head minnow through the water column for suspended fish, a common spring scenario. Not to oversimplify it, but it’s essentially the horizontal version of the static vertical technique known as “Damiki rigging” or “moping.”
Pennsylvania angler Jonathan Kelly throws the hover rig when water temperatures remain below 55 degrees and the fish have not yet started their pre-spawn move. He’s looking for bass that are between true winter and early-spring patterns, typically relating to timber, boulders or deep brush.
Hover Rig for bass. (Illustration by Peter Sucheski) Assembly: Companies like Missile Baits and Core Tackle offer heads made to fit inside a plastic bait, but Kelly keeps it simple with an All-Terrain Tackle Tungsten Scope TG . The head offers greater sensitivity in a smaller profile than lead, while the density creates better live sonar returns.
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Kelly uses 3/16- to 3/8-ounce heads, based on depth and wind, and pairs them with various minnows or a Zoom Winged Fluke . Motion benefits the presentation, so Kelly ties it on with a loop knot.
“I have seen the difference in success rate with a loop knot because it gives the bait more natural presentation,” says Kelly. “If I cast at 10 largemouths, I’m probably going to catch nine of them.”
Presentation : “Keep an open mind, because some days, you’ll have to hit them on the head with the bait and some days, you’ll have to throw it 10 feet in front of them and swim it back to them,” Kelly says. “Also, some days when you hit them on the head, you’ll have to immediately pull it away, but other days you’ll have to let it sink 20 feet.”
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Kelly constantly watches for followers that track a hover rig all the way to the boat. Quickly reeling up and making a traditional vertical, Damiki-style drop often does the trick.
FINESSE CAROLINA RIG Maryland’s Bryan Schmitt catches a lot of Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay fish on bold reaction baits, but when fishing pressure or high barometric pressure dials down the aggression, he knows he can tempt a few finicky fish by slowly dragging a Carolina-rigged Missile Baits D-Stroyer .
“The day before a front, maybe you caught them on moving baits in warmer, windy weather,” says Schmitt. “But when post-frontal conditions set in, you can clean up with this C-rig that is all about free presentation. It’s down there in the strike zone, but that bait is freely moving.”
Carolina Rig for bass. (Illustration by Peter Sucheski) Assembly : Schmitt scales down to 17-pound P-Line fluorocarbon main line and adds a 3/8- to 1/2-ounce slip sinker before tying to a size 8 SPRO Power Swivel . The swivel’s opposite side links to a 3-foot leader of 15-pound P-Line fluorocarbon terminating with a 3/0 Hayabusa 959 Wide Gap Offset hook .
“I like a red glass bead below my weight because that little clicking can make all the difference,” says Schmitt. “I’ll add a bobber stop between the bead and the swivel. That way, the weight can hit the bead but the bead cannot hit the knot.”
Presentation : Schmitt designed the 7-foot-5-inch, heavy-power Fitzgerald Carolina rig rod for making those requisite bomb casts, and he stresses the importance of attracting attention to the C-rig bait. While that noisy weight-bead interaction helps, he also enhances the visuals with a Floatzilla Tail —a buoyancy booster that screws into a plastic bait to lift it off the bottom.
“In young, sparse grass, I’ll add a Floatzilla to make sure the fish can see my bait,” he adds. “That Carolina rig pulls that bait down, but on the pause, the Floatzilla lifts it up.”
ALABAMA RIG Lauding this multi-armed contraption’s cold-water effectiveness, New Jersey’s Greg DiPalma says the A-rig is hard to beat when early-spring fish follow slow-moving bait balls. While the Alabama rig dominates in open water, DiPalma will confidently throw it around docks, stumps and any bass-friendly structure.
“The A-rig is in class by itself,” says DiPalma. “I think a glide bait has massive drawing power, but I believe an A-rig has massive catching power. A lot of times, spring fish are locked in on eating bait. You have to have the catching power to draw them away, and the A-rig fits that perfectly.”
Alabama Rig for bass. (Illustration by Peter Sucheski) Assembly : A-Rigs were all the rage when they were first introduced. Nowadays, state regulations determine the number of hooks allowed on a single rig, but with his home state allowing five, DiPalma uses a YUM Yumbrella Flash Mob Jr. He outfits this rig with 1/16- to 1/4-ounce heads (Strike King Baby Squadron Swimbait or Tactical Bassin’ Swimbait Jig Head ) sized to the depth he’s fishing.
Having tried multiple plastic swimmers, DiPalma finds the Keitech Fat Swing Impact in the pro blue/red pearl color most consistent. He’ll use the 3.8-inch size for largemouths and the 3.3-incher for smallies.
Presentation : Between the Yumbrella rig’s bladed and bladeless options, DiPalma says he’ll throw the bare rig when fishing pressure or post-front days have the fish in a foul mood.
“If you’re looking for more drawing power, though, especially in the wind, flash is key,” he says. “Those blades also tend to help on deeper fish. They can’t see as well in the deep water because of sunlight penetration, so having extra noise and flash helps.”
For shallow water, DiPalma wants his A-rig’s wires prominently bent outward to keep all that hardware higher in the water column. Conversely, if he needs to speed it up or go deeper, he’ll tuck the wires inward.
“When retrieving, I’ll snap my wrist a few times to make the rig hop, and that triggers strikes,” he says.
